A Troubled Past
by alynleo415
Summary: We always hear Zuko referring to his Uncle's 'troubled past'. Well, here it is! From Ursa, to dragons, to Ba Sing Se, this is the story of Prince Iroh, later General, the Dragon of the West. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1: The Crown Prince

**Hi peeps! This is a story about Iroh's awesome past. PS-he liked tea back then too. :) Review please!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or the characters. :( But... my friend is working on a plan for world domination!!!! And, she promised to give the rights to Avatar!!! YAY!!!!**

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The arena was nearly silent, save for the whisper of the cool morning wind. It was the end of summer, and the rising sun baked down upon their backs, but the early autumn gusts kept them comfortable.

A dark haired teenage boy stood at one end of the arena, wearing only loose fitted brown pants. He had a fierce look in his golden amber eyes, and he stood at the ready position.

On the other end of the arena stood a much older man, who wore heavy fire nation robes. His hands were neatly folded behind his back.

There was a long, serene silence as the two stared at each other, waiting.

"Begin," the older man said simply, watching the boy closely.

Iroh breathed in, long and hard, and then released gently. Slowly, he extended his right hand and channeled his inner fire through it. A small flame appeared, hovering just above his palm. In one quick motion, he formed an arc of fire over his head, bent his knees, and thrust his hands out, pushing the fire away from him and creating a circular defense ring. He then punched forward, striking through an imaginary opponent.

Thoughts flew through the Prince's head as he approached the section of the routine that he'd always had the most trouble with. _You can,_ he said to himself as he flew through the air, kicking and punching. _But I've only managed to complete the routine all the way through twice! What if I fail? _Suddenly, there was no more time for thoughts. The boy thrust his hands back, and shot fire from them, propelling him forward. He moved faster than he'd ever done in his life, circling around the arena. Everything began to move in slow motion as he shot up a column, nearly reaching the top before he moved his hands over his head and placed the balls of his feet against the wall. As his upper body began to fall backward, he pushed off the column, roaring long and hard. Fire shot from all four of his limbs, as well as his mouth, and he twirled through the air, freefalling. He thrust downward with his arms, quickly gathering his sense of up and down, and shot fire as hard as he could at the ground, creating a cushion of flames which he landed upon and quickly extinguished. Then he straightened up, pressed his fist into his palm, and bowed.

The old man smiled. He knew how the Prince had struggled with the routine, and he was very proud that he'd managed it without any slip ups.

"Excellent, Prince Iroh. That was beautiful." He congratulated.

"Thank you, Master Shu Lin," Iroh replied. He couldn't help but grin. It had taken him over three months to learn the routine, and he still wasn't even close to mastering it.

"Now, I know the Fire Lord wishes you to perform this particular routine at your coronation next week." Shu Lin said, walking over to the Prince, who was taking long sip from a glass of water that a servant had brought to him. "And although what you just showed me was an astonishing improvement, I'm afraid it just isn't there yet. You will need to practice very hard these next few days. To perform a routine like this, you must be able to do it perfectly several times over. Do you understand?"

Iroh nodded. "Of course, Master," he replied. The Prince had expected as much, he himself had been surprised that he done so well.

Shu Lin was a fire sage, one of the few that agreed to teach young firebenders to become masters. Fire Scouts traveled the country searching for naturally talented benders from good families. These benders were brought to the palace and Shu Lin trained them to be future elite firebenders, the guards that protected the royal family. Because of this, Iroh trusted Shu Lin's experience teaching firebenders, and he had never doubted the Master's opinions and commands.

"Good," Shu Lin said. "Now, I believe it is time for you to meet with the royal tutor, is it not?"

"Yes," Iroh replied. "I should be getting down there. Master Taisho doesn't appreciate it when I am late." He grimaced at the memory of the last time he'd been late to his lessons. Taisho had marched away, overly furious that the Prince had neglected his learning. He'd refused to teach Iroh that day, and Azulon had been very upset with his son for angering the tutor. Iroh had been punished severely.

Shuddering at the thought, Iroh bowed quickly to Shu Lin and hurried away, first to his quarters, where he changed into robes, and then to his tutor's quarters. He paused before knocking on the door, adjusting his ponytail and smoothing his robes. Then he took a deep breath and straightened up, remembering to act like a Prince.

Iroh reached up and knocked quietly, then remembered that Taisho had hearing problems and knocked harder. A few seconds later, the door opened, and Taisho stood there, his brow furrowing as he saw Iroh.

"Ah, Prince Iroh," he said shortly, bowing quickly. "I was just finishing a lesson on battle tactics with Lady Ursa," It was then that Iroh noticed a young girl standing behind Taisho. She moved swiftly to stand next to him and bowed low, her face hidden.

"Your highness," she said; her voice sweet and smooth. "It is a pleasure to meet the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

Iroh bowed very slightly. "The pleasure is all mine, my lady."

Ursa stood and eyed him warily, her eyes and facial expression revealing none of the sweetness her voice had held, but rather a cold hardness that could come only from a difficult life. She had a long, flawless face and bright, honey golden eyes. Her black hair was silky and shone in the light. She wore traditional fire nation clothing; a tunic over pants and robes, and she was strangely beautiful, though it was obvious she had gone to no length to achieve her beauty. If you looked more closely, her hair was slightly off line, as though she'd just thrown it up carelessly, and her clothes hung limply against her body; they were far too large for her. Iroh could tell she was at least one or two years younger than he was, he face still showed slight signs of innocent youth, though the sharp look she regarded the Prince with made it difficult to recognize these signs.

"Lady Ursa is Commander Orison's daughter. She has just recently moved from the Fire Nation Colonies in the Earth Kingdom, where she was born and raised while her father was stationed there." Taisho said, his voice dull and strained as he watched the Prince and Ursa closely.

Careful to remember his manners despite the girl's icy stare, Iroh nodded politely. "That's interesting, indeed, Lady Ursa." He paused for a second, and a devious idea came into his head. He looked Ursa right in the eyes, smiling warmly and said, "Would you care to discuss it over the midday meal?"

Her mouth dropped a fraction, and she shut it quickly, but not before the Prince noticed. He smiled smugly to himself, knowing he had her trapped. It was extremely inappropriate and impolite to decline an offer of hospitality from a member of the royal family. Ursa eyes narrowed slightly, hating the Prince more and more by the second. She could see it in his eyes; Iroh had set her up. But she could do nothing about it while Taisho was standing there. The two of them watched her expectantly.

"I'd be honored to join you, Your Highness," she replied through slightly gritted teeth.

"Well, that's settled," Taisho said, clapping his hands lightly, obviously impatient. "Now, if you don't mind, Lady Ursa, the Prince and I have a few things to discuss before his coronation next week."

Lady Ursa nodded curtly and bowed; the same strange glare in her eyes as she turned and left.

Iroh tried to shake thoughts of Ursa out of his head, but even as he and his tutor sat down at the table and Taisho began to speak, the image of her filled his brain and he suddenly grew almost nervous about the meal they would share after his lesson.

"Prince Iroh?" Taisho said, watching the Prince. Iroh did not reply. The old tutor sighed in frustration and placed his face in his hands. He could remember his first lesson with the boy, nearly nine years previously. Iroh had always been very attentive and extremely cautious. These were both good traits to have as a future Fire Lord, but Taisho had noticed that often Iroh over thought many things that weren't important. Sighing again, he looked up. The boy was still deep in thought, staring into space. "Prince Iroh!" Taisho called, waving his hand in front of the Prince eyes.

Jerking his head up, Iroh realized what had happened. He looked down sheepishly. "I'm very sorry, Master Taisho," he whispered, finally managing to push Ursa out of his head.

Taisho sighed. "Are you ready to pay attention, now, young Iroh?"

'Yes, Master," Iroh nodded, trying to seem eager.

"Well, as you know, next Thursday is your coronation, the day you officially become Crown Prince of the fire nation." Taisho paused and glanced at the boy, nodding approvingly when he saw he had Iroh's full attention. "There are a few things that you must take into account before Thursday comes.

"Firstly, this means that you have passed or have nearly passed the twenty levels of basic firebending. And you already have a routine worked out for the ceremony, I assume, since you arrived at your lesson five minutes late." Iroh looked down again, embarrassed. "Fortunately," Taisho continued, smiling very slightly, "Lady Ursa and I were late in finishing her lesson." This seemed to help make the young Prince feel a little better. At the mention of Ursa's name, her image immediately floated into Iroh's head. He quickly thrust it out again, hoping the frustration he felt towards himself wasn't showing on his face.

"As is tradition, your first master lesson with Shu Lin will take place on Friday morning. It will be open to public viewing." Taisho said. "Naturally, so you don't embarrass yourself in front of the public, Shu Lin will rehearse the lesson with you beforehand.

"Secondly, as I'm sure you have heard, the Royal Coronation Ball will take place Friday evening. Nobles and high ranking citizens have been invited from all over the nation. The Ball will be held outdoors, as there is not enough room within the Palace." Taisho paused, standing and starting to pace. "I'm forgetting something…" he murmured quietly.

"Oh yes!" Taisho exclaimed, turning on Iroh with a broad smile upon his old wizened face. "You need a proper date to the ball, as the new Crown Prince."

Iroh felt as though his stomach had been turned upside down and then stuffed up his throat. His eyes grew wide as he watched the old tutor, standing there, grinning, as if nothing at all was wrong with that statement.

At nearly fifteen years old, Iroh could firebend well beyond his years, he was a good student, and he could even step in for his father when the need was there. But he could barely talk to a girl unless he was in "Prince Mode", let alone ask a girl out. Ursa, of course, was an exception. Already, he very much enjoyed annoying her.

"Uh… a date?" Iroh replied, managing to choke the words out.

"Yes," Taisho said, seeming distracted. He was staring out the window, watching something.

Iroh stood and walked to where the tutor was looking out the window. A crowd had gathered in the Capital Plaza that surrounded the Palace. Taisho and the Prince could just make out the people. They were clustered around a small group of men who wore traveler's robes. Each man held a large brown sack, and some of the people in the crowd were poking and prodding the sack's contents.

"I would suggest sending someone to see what that is about," Taisho said. "The Capital Plaza is close to the Palace, and we wouldn't want a bad reputation because a riot was started near the Palace."

Iroh nodded. He walked to the door and opened it. Two guards stood there, and they snapped to attention as the Prince came out of the room.

"Guards," Iroh began, straightening up to look more Prince-like. "There is a crowd of people outside in the Plaza. A group of men stands in the center of the crowd. They are holding sacks full of items. Go and split the crowd up. If the men have anything of interest in the sacks, bring them to see me in my throne room." The two guards nodded curtly and turned to leave.

"One more thing-" Iroh called. "Thank you."

Taisho had come to stand behind Iroh in the doorway. He smiled at the Prince's last words. The boy was strong and commanding, but he showed compassion for his servants and his people. Iroh would indeed make a fine firelord.

"We should head to your throne room," the tutor said curtly. The Prince nodded and the two walked together in silence to the Secondary Throne room.

It took several minutes for the guards to return to the palace, and Iroh knew he was already late for his lunch with Ursa. He sent a chamberlain to invite her to the throne room, instead, much to his unwillingness.

Ursa arrived quickly, disgust written all over her face, but only Iroh seemed to notice. Behind her trailed Iroh's younger brother Ozai, a short, pale eleven year old who always wore an agonized smirk.

"Lady Ursa," Iroh said, standing to greet her.

"Prince Iroh," she replied, bowing quickly. "This is an unfortunate delay,"

Iroh saw her eyebrows rise slightly, and he knew she wanted to know why a mob outside the palace was more important than the lunch_ he_ had insisted she attended.

"Yes… Indeed," the Prince replied, attempting to choose his words carefully. "I wished to see if they had anything of interest with them." He nearly blushed after he finished, knowing how selfish and rude he sounded. She was glaring at him, but smiled slightly at his expression. "Ozai," Iroh turned to his younger brother, his junior by four years. "What are you doing here? There is no need for a young boy to be involved with something like this."

"You're nothing more than a boy yourself," Ozai replied softly, his voice low and deadly. Ursa glanced at him, surprised that a small, sickly looking boy could send such a terrible chill through her bones simply by speaking. "And you most certainly cannot order me around; I'm just as much Prince of the Fire Nation as you are. Who says dad won't revoke your birthright in the next week?" This short, piercing speech seemed to have almost brought tears to the younger Prince's eyes, he seemed so furious. And yet, he was so composed. Ursa watched him closely, intrigued. Iroh, however, seemed to have completely forgotten his brother was there. It seemed routine for him, Ozai threats appeared to not have even penetrated him.

Just then the guard outside of the throne room pushed open the doors and called in "Guard Phu ad Win, Your Highness, retuned with the cause of the mob in the plaza." Ursa stepped quickly aside and watched with mild interest. Ozai noticed her for the first time as he moved to the far side of the room, near to the base of Iroh's throne.

"Let them pass," Iroh replied, dignity seeping through his every syllable. "Guard Phu?" he asked expectantly as the two guards lead a small group of men to the base of the throne.

"These are the men you instructed us to bring to you, Your Highness," Guard Phu replied. "Here are the sacks they were carrying." The group of men brought forward several brown sacks, some small and light, others very heavy looking.

"Open them," Iroh instructed, standing and peering down the sacks. The men opened the sacks and pulled out the items inside, slowly and dramatically. A collective gasp was heard from every person in the hall but the seven men who had been found in the plaza. Iroh's mouth had dropped open nearly a foot, and he instinctively shut it, remembering that he was the Prince. Ursa didn't bother to stifle a cry of horror, and a few of the men turned to look at her. She glanced at the Prince, who was staring at the items the men had pulled out with amazement. He didn't seem the least bit concerned.

"But…" Iroh murmured. "How did you… you know…"

"Kill it, your highness?" One of the men replied.

Iroh was silent for a long moment. Finally, he replied. "Yes." He said simply, taking his seat on the throne. "Please tell."

Ursa had no wish to hear the men's account of how they killed the magnificent dragon whose remains now rested in the crude sacks, but she didn't have much of a choice, as she was in the crown Prince's presence, and she couldn't just excuse herself.

One of the men stepped forward cautiously, kneeling. "My name is Gaanzo, your highness. I live with my wife and children in a village located on the outer islands."

Iroh was determined not to leave anything out. He was suddenly very interested in the men's story. "How many children do you have, Gaanzo?" he asked, he voice strangely casual.

"Four, your highness. Three sons and one daughter, the oldest is fifteen and the youngest 4."

"Hmm." Iroh said. And for a brief second, Taisho saw his father shining through him. He almost shuddered. Ozai watched his brother with the painful smirk still plastered across his face. Once in a while, he glanced over at Ursa, too far away to notice the flaws in her seemingly incredible beauty.

"Go on," Iroh said mildly, as if he were speaking to a family member.

"My life skill is fishing and I travel to the Earth Kingdom every year for the trader's market, where I sell my stocks of frozen fish. Last year, I heard a few rumors about the dragons while I was in the Earth Kingdom. People were saying that the ancient Dragon Clan of Sozin, named after you Grandfather, of course, had been spotted on the Pyric Islands, near the Western Air Temple. I became very interested in the Clan, and gathered my friends. We traveled to the island and stayed there for sixty days, but there was no sign of the dragons. We grew weary and just as we were leaving to return home, Shumon…" he gestured to the man standing behind him, "found the entrance to a secret cave that turned out to be a magnificent underground labyrinth. Naïve as we were regarding the dragons, we hardly expected them to be in the cavern, thinking that they would naturally prefer the light. In the very heart of the labyrinth, when we felt for sure that we were lost, a heavy breathing sound began to echo around us. We were only a few feet from a gargantuan male dragon, one of the leaders of the Clan of Sozin. Recognizing only just in time what the beast was, we managed to surround it, and simultaneously, we drove our spears into its side, killing it almost instantly. We were indeed fortunate that the beast was deep in sleep.

"Indeed…" Iroh murmured. Ursa looked, disgusted, from him to Gaanzo, and then to the sacks. Suddenly, her stomach twisted in a fierce knot and a sharp wave of dizziness came over her. Everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2: Dining with Royalty

**Sorry, I know it's literally been forever since I've last updated any of my stories. I've just been super busy. Well, here's chapter two, this is more from Ursa's point of view. Read and Review, please! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or the characters. **

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Before even opening her eyes, Ursa was aware of the raging pain in her head. She barely managed to hold back a groan as she blinked and tried to focus. She raised her hand and pressed it firmly to her forehead, attempting to dull the pain as she gathered her surroundings. She was in her quarters, lying in her own bed. Someone had taken care to close the shades on the window, blocking out the bright afternoon light. This someone had also removed her formal over-robe and tunic, leaving her dressed in only brown pants and her thin undershirt.

Sighing, Ursa lifted herself into a sitting position, ignoring the sharp pain in her head. She glanced in the mirror at the far side of the room. Her hair had fallen out of the loose bun she'd carelessly thrown up that morning, and her makeup was smudged. She leaned back against the pillows as she tried to recall what had happened.

"You've been out for most of the afternoon," a voice said coolly from near the door. Ursa gave a little scream and grabbed the bedcovers, pulling them up over her undershirt.

"Who's there?" she asked, angry that someone was watching her while she was underdressed.

"I am Prince Ozai," the cool voice replied, and the pale boy stepped out of the shadows. "My brother Iroh instructed me to wait here until you awoke. He is attending to more pressing matters."

Ursa was again surprised at how frightening his tone was. But she was in too much pain to care about that, or about her manners told a member of the Royal family. "Like what matters?" she asked informally, suddenly annoyed as she remembered how interested Iroh had been with the dead dragon.

"Rehearsing for his firebending performance at the coronation," Ozai spat out the words as though they were poison. It was clear that he resented his brother with a fiery hate. "He should be back momentarily, if that's what you wanted to know."

"I'd rather he just stay away," Ursa muttered. The younger boy didn't hear her. He sat down on her vanity stool across the room. She suddenly caught herself looking at Ozai, studying his eleven-year-old features. It was remarkable how closely he resembled his older brother, other that the paleness and the constant cool glare in his eyes. They both had the same amber eyes and dark, wavy hair. They had pointed features, angular but still somewhat rounded. And they were tall for their age. At eleven, Ozai was only an inch or so shorter that Ursa, who would turn fourteen in a month.

The two sat there in silence for several minutes. Ursa found it almost strange that she didn't find the quietness between them awkward. In fact, she was completely comfortable. Finally, Ozai stood up.

"I'm leaving," he announced. "You're awake, so I'm not required to stay any longer."

"Bye," Ursa replied, her tone bored and uninterested.

He paused for a moment, turning back to glare at her. She could tell he was considering whether or not to demand that she address him like the royalty he was. But then his face softened slightly, and he left without another word.

Ursa continued to lie in her bed after Ozai had left. She still had considerable pain in her head, and it was then that she realized she must have fainted and fallen back in the throne room. She also decided that she must have hit her head on something, judging by the fact that she'd been out all afternoon.

Finally, she decided to take a bath and fix her hair. A formal dinner was held nearly every night in the Fire Nation Palace, other than Sundays. Ursa had arrived the day before, on a Sunday. Tonight she was scheduled to attend her first dinner. Master Taisho had explained to her that the Fire Lord Azulon rarely attended these dinners. However, the Princes' and the Fire Lady Ilah came to them regularly. As a visiting noble, Ursa too would be expected to be at the dinners as often as possible.

She stood, balancing herself against a bedpost until the room stopped spinning. Then she chose fresh underclothing from a drawer and went into the bathroom to fill the tub. She was just removing her pants and sliding into the water when she heard the bedroom door open and shut.

"Lady Ursa?" a voice called. "Are you still in here?"

Ursa cursed, immediately recognizing the voice to be Prince Iroh. She reflexively grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her naked body just as the prince came around the corner.

"Oh!" he said, surprised. He spun around, quickly averting his eyes.

"You know," she hissed, "The reason they have doors is so that people like you might knock before they come barging in!"

"I thought you'd be in bed!" he replied defensively. "You had a horrible fall, and you hit your head really hard! You shouldn't be moving about like this already! The doctor said you should rest at least until mid-evening!"

"Don't tell me what's best for me!" she replied angrily. She stepped behind a dressing panel, still wrapped tightly in the towel. "I'm feeling perfectly fine, thank you!"

He was silent for a few moments, pondering what to say. Then he finally spoke. "That's not exactly how you address the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation," he said, almost deathly quiet.

"It is when that certain Crown Prince barged rudely into my personal quarters," she answered loudly. "And I haven't even mentioned how disgusting it was that you were so interested in those poor dragons! It's just wrong, and you obviously can't see that." she sighed and sucked in a deep breath to calm herself. Now probably wasn't the appropriate time to discuss the dragons with him. "Now will you please leave me in peace to take a bath?"

She heard quiet footsteps, and after a few seconds she peered around the panel to see that the Prince had disappeared. Ursa walked back into the bedroom to confirm that Iroh was truly gone. Then she finally clambered into the bathtub, sighing as the hot water seeped over her body.

As she prepared herself for that night's dinner, Ursa struggled to keep thoughts of the Iroh out of her head. She didn't understand exactly why she hated him in the way she did. He was handsome, and even somewhat charming. He was certainly much more sociable than his younger brother. He wasn't unlike the kind of boy that every teenage girl dreams of. And yet, she couldn't help but feel a wave a hate descend on her every time she saw the Prince. She was disgusted by his fascination in the dragon, and still angry that he'd entered her room without knocking, but Ursa knew those weren't reasons to completely hate the boy as she did. She puzzled over this for several minutes as she dressed and primped herself for the dinner.

When she was finished, Ursa stepped in front of the mirror. She had chosen a deep maroon dress that fell in a robe style to the ground. The dress had only one thick strap over her right shoulder. She had tied a golden brown sash over her left shoulder and down to her waist. Her hair was tied into an elaborate design: a neat bun with a fire nation hairpiece on the top half, and several thin braids that cascaded down her shoulders on the bottom half. Ursa had also plastered her face with traditional makeup, much as she hated to do so. She had to admit to herself that she looked quite beautiful in the fancy attire. In the Earth Kingdom colonies, there had been few children her own age and therefore few people to show off to. Ursa had grown up in an environment where it was unnecessary for her to care about her appearance. She'd rarely noticed the beauty in her long, angular features and her dark, silky hair. Smiling lightly to herself, she slipped on gold trimmed ballet flats as a finishing touch.

A guard arrived at five-fifty to escort her to dinner. The dining hall was just across from the main throne room, and as they walked past Ursa realized that she hadn't ever met or even seen the Fire Lord Azulon. It made her wonder what he was like, and if his two sons were similar to him or not.

The hall was just as majestic and wonderful as the rest of the palace. It was very large, though the dining rug was small, situated off to one side and only twelve cushions around it. Prince Iroh and Prince Ozai were already standing behind their seats, dressed in formal robes and wearing the royal family hairpieces on their ponytails. Two other teenage nobles and what appeared to be a fire sage were also standing behind seats, but they were at the opposite end of the rug than the princes. One of the teenage nobles was a girl, and she looked to be about Iroh's age. The other was a boy who was about eighteen or nineteen. She was glad to see that the other girl was dressed even more lavishly than herself, and that she hadn't overdone the formality. Keeping her eyes well averted, Ursa stopped in front of Iroh and bowed low.

"Your highness," she muttered, trying to sound formal and respectful rather than rude and hateful, as she was feeling.

"Lady Ursa," he replied, his tone sweet and smooth, almost like honey. It surprised her, and she involuntarily looked up, right into his face. He was staring straight at her, his golden eyes boring into her very soul. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't smirking or frowning either. His mouth was a flat line, curved up slightly at the edges. His hands were folded behind his back, and for the first time she noticed how incredibly handsome and mature-looking he was. She could see the lines of his muscular arms through the robes, and she almost expected the hateful feeling that was flooding her body to just melt away. But it wouldn't leave. She narrowed her eyes at him and raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Your seat." He indicated the cushion to his left, speaking in the same honey-smooth voice. When he spoken to her earlier that day, both before she'd fainted and when he entered her room, his voice had been choppy and rough, much like that of most teenage boys. It was as though he was purposefully trying to rein her in now with all of this new enchantment.

"Thank you, Prince Iroh" she replied stiffly, moving to stand next to him. If he wanted to play games, she would have none of it. She would show him that he couldn't treat her so rudely one part of the day and then expect her to respect and be friendly with him the next.

The seats around the table began to fill up as more nobles entered the hallway. Ursa half expected Iroh to introduce her, but she and the two princes stood in complete silence for several minutes. Iroh still had the same smooth look on his face, and Ursa was trying to shake the image of his eyes boring into hers out of her head.

Finally, the guards that had been positioned outside the hallway doors came inside. Both, Ursa could see from their uniforms, were firebenders. They raised their fists into the air and slowly brought them down, dimming the lights in the room. One of the guards then stepped forward.

"Her highness the Fire Lady Ilah," the guard said, and then both moved to the side of the doors and bowed low.

The women that entered the dining hall then so closely resembled her eldest son that it startled Ursa. Ilah had the same rounded face, the same golden eyes, and the same smooth expression as Iroh. She was tall and thin, wearing a gorgeous golden dress that bloomed out from her waist in a wide skirt. The differences between Ozai and Iroh were now much more obvious to Ursa. Ozai was much more angular and bony. His eyes were much more red rather than gold or amber, though he too was tall like his mother and brother.

"My lady," the entire table coursed together suddenly, and they bowed. Ursa quickly got the hint and did the same. She nearly jumped in fright when she realized that the only empty seat was just across the dining rug from her. The Fire Lady was going to be sitting next to her!

"Mother," Iroh and Ozai nodded respectfully at Ilah as she moved to stand at her seat. Then she gracefully lowered herself into a seating position on her cushion. Ursa could feel uncontrollable nerves rising in the pit of her stomach. She took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm herself. The princes' sat next, and then the rest of the table. Ursa struggled to move as smoothly as Ilah had down onto her seat. The Fire Lady rang a small bell, and servants immediately began bringing out the first course on golden platters.

"Young Lady, I do not believe we have met," Ilah smiled warmly up at Ursa, who gulped. She was suddenly lost for words.

"Mother, this is Lady Ursa, daughter of Commander Orison. She has just recently come to the palace from the colonies in the Earth Kingdom."

"It is very wonderful to meet you, Lady Ursa." Ilah said, politely beginning to eat her dinner. "What purpose do you have here in the palace?"

"My parents have sent me here to enrich my studies," Ursa replied, feeling the butterflies in her stomach calm slightly. The Fire lady was much kinder than she had imagined. "My mother wishes me to one day replace her as the Fire Nation embassy to the Earth Kingdom."

"I see," the Fire Lady answered. "And you have already been acquainted with my sons?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I trust they have treated you well?" Ilah continued, and Ursa could have sworn she saw the Fire Lady wink at her.

"Yes, of course," Ursa replied stiffly, much as she wanted to discuss with Ilah the confusion and anger she was feeling toward Iroh.

The dinner passed in much the same manner. When Ilah turned to speak with the nobles sitting next to her, Ursa ate her meal quietly. She didn't bother to even acknowledge Iroh, though she could often feel his eyes on her. She guessed that he would say something eventually out of frustration with her, and she was right.

"Lady Ursa," came his smooth voice from her right. "Are you enjoying your meal?"

It was plain and simple small talk to anyone else, but Ursa knew there was a hidden message. What he was really saying was something to the effect of 'why are you being so rude and purposefully avoiding me?'

"Fine, thank you," she replied. Suddenly, she felt him slid closer to her, and she could feel his warm breath against her neck. Ursa froze in shock.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. And then he was gone. He had leaned back in his chair and was looking away from her.

She quickly went back to her meal, not sure what else to do. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke to her again, and she decided she much preferred the silence.

"Iroh, have you introduced Lady Ursa to any of the other dinner attendees?" Ilah asked her son in a scolding tone.

"No mother," he answered. Ursa noticed he was avoiding looking at her. "The man at the far head of the table is General Lu Zhaoin, leader of the elite Fire Nation Militia. The woman on his right is his wife, Taira. They are expecting their first child in a few months." Ursa could see that the lady called Taira was very round at the middle and obviously pregnant. She nodded, and then remembered that Iroh wasn't looking at her. "The two sitting to the General's left," Iroh indicated the teenage boy and girl Ursa had first noticed when she'd entered the hall, "are my cousin Lieutenant Jeong-Jeong, and Lady Kylee, who is the daughter of my father's greatest friend, Fire Bending Master Lee Song." Iroh continued on, introducing the rest of the table, but Ursa was hardly listening. She was noticing how exhausted she was, and the bump on her head was throbbing painfully. She wondered if Iroh had told his mother of the earlier incident, when she'd fainted from the dragon. And when she thought of the dragon, the feeling of hatred toward Iroh washed over her again.

"…and that's everyone, at least that is here tonight," Iroh finished. Ilah had gone back to talking with the lady sitting next to her. Iroh still would not make eye contact with Ursa.

"Thank you, Prince Iroh," Ursa said politely. She glanced around and saw that some of the nobles were standing to leave, and she did as well. "I think I will retire to my quarters - It has been a very tiring day. Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Lady Ilah. It was very nice to meet you." She bowed to the Fire Lady, and then turned respectfully to the princes. "Prince Iroh, Prince Ozai, goodnight and thank you for dinner," she realized that she was speaking though slightly gritted teeth, and she relaxed her face into a smile, though it was forced.

"I hope to see much more of you, Lady Ursa," the Fire Lady smiled gently up at her. "Have a good night."

Ursa walked back to her quarters in silence. She had dismissed the guard who had been waiting to escort her, preferring to be alone. The noble's chambers were in a different building than the dining hall and the throne rooms, and she had to cross the open air courtyard to get to it.

The courtyard balcony overlooked the city. Ursa leaned over it, resting her arms comfortably on the ledge. Having only arrived in the capital the day before, she'd spent all of her time within the palace. Therefore, she hadn't gotten the chance to explore the great city that she now witnessed before her. Naturally, Ursa had been intrigued by the capital ever since she was a young girl. Her father had told her stories of the legendary city, built in the very crater of a volcano.

The city was even far greater than she'd imagined it. She could now see the crater walls surrounding her, rising majestically into the dark night sky. The bright lights of the homes and shops below her sparkled like a campfire. Intricate pathways wove through the city, and Ursa glimpsed the occasional burst of a firebender's flame. She smiled and sighed, taking advantage of the opportunity to forget the day's events.

Not for the first time in her life, Ursa wished she were a simpleton, a girl born to parents of no noble descent. When she'd lived in the colonies, she'd dreamed of being an earthbender's child. Nature and beauty had always spoken more to her than fire and fierceness ever had. And, she noted to herself, had she grown up an Earth Kingdom commoner, she would never have had to deal with confusing royal hotheads like Prince Iroh.

"Lady Ursa?" a voice called softly from behind her. She spun around, hoping with all her heart that it wasn't the Prince who had come to see her. A wave of immense relief washed over her as she saw that it wasn't Iroh at all, rather the teenage noble from dinner, then one whom Iroh had introduced as Lady Kylee.

The girl came to stand next to her, resting her arms on the ledge of the balcony as well.

"Kylee Meringer," she said.

"Ursa Sonlee," Ursa replied. "But you seem to already know that."

"Yes," Kylee smiled. "Prince Iroh pointed you out to me as you were leaving the dining hall."

"Did he?" Ursa murmured with contempt, not loud enough for Kylee to hear.

"I heard about your arrival this morning," The other girl continued. "I was most excited to meet you. I've always wanted to travel to the Earth Kingdom, the colonies especially. Is it nice there?"

"It's wonderful!" Ursa sighed, a sudden wave of homesickness descending upon her. "Of course, I'm very happy to be in the capital city. I've wanted to come here since I was a girl. But I miss my home terribly."

"I wish we could have sat next to one another at the dinner tonight," Kylee said. "I wanted so badly to speak with you. Would you perhaps join me for the morning meal tomorrow?"

Ursa nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!" she smiled brightly at Kylee. Never before had she met anyone so interested in the colonies. Most upperclassmen in the Fire Nation regarded the colonies as a waste of time. They believed the Earth Kingdom people to be mindless, inferior benders and wanted nothing to do with them, even if the colonies were benefiting the Fire Nation.

The door to the palace suddenly burst open behind them, flooding the balcony with blinding light. A frantic servant stood there, panting.

"My ladies," he gasped, "I bring terrible news. The Fire Lady has collapsed in the dining hall! She has fallen fatally ill!"


End file.
